Not the chosen one
by Fragariaphobia
Summary: Cynder begans to gain amazing powers more advanced than Spyro's, and Spyro is starting to change as well, one might even say he's acting darker...
1. Chapter 1

It was a bright sunny day earlier, and now a dark peaceful night. Spyro sat atop the temple, watching leaves blow in the breeze. No one had known about this place, Not Ignitus, not Volteer, not Cyrill, not Terrador, not Sparx, nor Cynder. Spyro liked it this way; the world was hard and cruel to him. He needed a break every now and again. Ever since being "the chosen dragon" his life flew by so fast, days became hours, weeks became days, months became weeks and so on. He was becoming weak again, but he had been fighting more than usual, Ignitus worried, but Spyro knew everything was all right. The whole world seemed to glow as golden leaves flew by. It was a truly remarkable sight.

"Spyro!" A voice called from far away.

"I say, where do you think he has gone off to this time?" another voice chimed in. It was Ignitus and Cyrill. There were more chatterings coming from them, but they were too far away. But because he could hear them, he guessed that they were directly below him.

"I'm coming!" he called out as loud as he could. Carefully gliding down to a large mushroom to insure that his hiding place would not be found, Spyro jumped in the canopy of plant life that surrounded the temple. Sparx often hid in the plant to jump out and scare people. Lately, he hadn't been doing it much, considering that Terrador was caught by surprise and squashed him against a wall. Spyro leaped and hurried, trying to be discreet. Finally, after minutes of running he finally reached the temple door. Taking the long way took forever, but gliding down would've revealed him. Ignitus was already waiting for him.

"There you are, I've been looking for you, were in the world did you go?" asked Ignitus.

"Oh, I was in the treetops, looking for Sparx, then I guess I dozed off since it was warm." Spyro replied. It didn't feel right lying to Ignitus. They're close, almost like father and son, but something inside of him told him to keep quiet.

"Alright then, like I've said many times, it's dangerous outside during the night" Ignitus said, pushing the statue in place to open the door. It took him a while. He was getting older and the fighting recently had worn him out. A lot of Cynder's old goons have decided they want their leader back one way or another. So the temple had recently blown to bits. Rubble and litter were everywhere. The stones were cracked and the ceiling's holes exposed certain areas. It was awfully big, so they could always sleep somewhere else. The air was thick with the dust, and there was a sense of safety, as if there were to be no attack tonight.

"Good night Ignitus" Spyro said, walking down the hall.

"Good night Spyro" he replied, heading in the other direction. His steps were slow; he was growing much older and weaker. Making him get up and look for the young dragon caused him even more guilt. He could be on his last legs, and Spyro was making him worry and move around more than usual. Inside the large stone room with a partly exposed roof, his friend for life, Sparx, greeted Spyro.

"Hello mystical magical purple one! How's it hanging? Eh? Hey, uh, can I sleep near you? The monstrosity is freaking me out. A lot more than usual." Sparx said, buzzing around excitedly.

"What are you talking about?" Spyro said, confused at the statement "Cynder doesn't sleep here." He said. It was their room and Cynder had her own, slightly smaller, but a reasonable size.

"Yeah, yeah, tell _it_ that." Sparx muttered, pointing at her. She was staring at the hole in the ceiling, her eyes glazed over, as if she has been touched by death. Her chest wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cynder!" Spyro shouted, rushing over to her. Her eyes were still fixed upon the night sky, which shone brightly in the darkness of the room. He body was stone cold when Spyro touched it. "Th-this can't be happening. How did this happen, why Cynder?" everything spun around. He felt faint and tired. "Sparx, what happened?"

"Peh, how should I know? She waltzed in here, looking for you, tried to have a weird conversation with me, then stood right there and started at the stars for like 5 minutes before you came." Sparx replied.

"Did she look sick when she came in?" Spyro said, calming down a little. He was still shaking and began to sweat.

"She _always_ looks sick. All of you scaly weirdoes do, no offense." Sparx muttered. "Hey, hey! It's moving! It's alive!" he said, suddenly. Cynder slowly blinked, then looked around the room.

"Wha-what happened? Spyro? When did you get here?" she said, cautiously surveying the area, as if it wasn't real.

"You were staring at the stars for a while. And you weren't moving or breathing, either." Spyro said, approaching her quickly. He gently felt her side. It was warm again and she seemed to be breathing just fine. "That was a little scary. Mind if I keep an eye on you? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, sure. I'll stay here." Cynder said weakly, as if someone had beaten her half to death. It was strange to see anyone supposedly die, come back and have no clue as to what had happened.

"Whoa whoa whoa! _Whoa_. I don't think so. You already freak me out when you're far away, but this is too close for comfort! No way. I will not sleep in this room with the monstrosity that tried to eat me!" Sparx said, buzzing in Spyro's face.

"Fine. You can sleep somewhere else. Cynder's staying here." Spyro said, planting his foot down firmly to show his authority. They may be friends, but Spyro was bigger and he could use his strength if he felt like it. Sparx was about to protest, but instead flew up on top of a ledge and began to sleep. "Goodnight Cynder." Spyro said, collapsing atop a small stack of hay.

"Goodnight Spyro." Cynder said, doing the same.

Morning came and Cynder was just fine. She wasn't constantly looking around the room and she seemed to have regained the strength she somehow lost. The sun brightly greeted them from the hole in the ceiling as they awoke slowly.

"Well, we better go tell Ignitus what happened last night" Spyro said with a yawn. The sun warmed his scales as he brushed some hay off.

"Alright. But I'll get there first!" Cynder said quickly, taking off.

"No fair!" he replied, speeding after her with the agility of cheetah. The tow rarely got a chance to act like the siblings that they were. With all the fighting and violence, they seemed more like partners than relatives. The race lasted about 10 minutes of running through the twisted labyrinth of the temple. Spyro finally caught up, only because Cynder tripped. It was declared a tie as they walked into the room, out of breath.

"Ignitus," Spyro said, being serious again "I need to talk to you, last night, something very strange happened to Cynder. For a while she wasn't breathing, and she was staring at the sky." Spyro could see Ignitus was pondering and thinking through all his knowledge what had happened.

"Well," he said at last "I've only heard of something like that once before, but, _no no_. It's can't be. Cynder is far too young, and her ability to be captured by the dark master-"

"What are you talking about?" Cynder asked nervously.

"It's nothing. _Really_. Carry on, I was just letting my imagination run wild for a bit." Ignitus said, ushering them out the door.

"That certainly was strange, wasn't it?" Spyro asked when they were out of earshot. "What do you think he was talking about anyway?"

"Not sure, but whatever it is. I want to find out." She replied. "Tonight, he'll probably have a discussion with the other elders about it. I'm going to listen in. Are you with me?"

"We can't just do that. They've been like a family to us. Listening in on their conversations isn't a very nice thing to do. They trust us to protect everyone from the Dark Master, not be nosy." Spyro said, taken aback by her statement.

"But Spyro, I want to know what's _wrong_ with me." She snapped back.

"There's nothing wrong with you. You're just being paranoid is what's wrong! Just clam down already!" he shouted.

"I'm not the one who's yelling!" Cynder said, her eyes pleading him to lower his tone so no one could hear.

"Alright. Tonight I'll help you eavesdrop on their conversations. But I won't like it…" Spyro muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Night fell and the two young dragons prepared to sneak into the elders' room. Spyro still had his doubts, but there was no time to delay arguing about it. They had to get in before the elders, and if that failed they had to be against the door undetected.

"Are you ready?" Cynder asked, her warm breath leaving steam in the air. This night was much colder than the last. Icy rain pounded on the roof of the temple. It sounded like thousands of nails were being dropped simultaneously.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Spyro said. The two walked down hallway after hallway as fast as they could, trying to keep quiet.

"I'll make sure no one's coming while you go find a place for us both to hide." Cynder said.

"No fair!" Spyro protested, "It's your plan, why should I risk being caught?" Cynder was about to speak, but he went in anyway, looking for large stones from the ceiling to hide behind. Unfortunately, the elders' room took the least damage through all the attacks, so there were no large stones.

"There's nothing in here!" he shouted as loud as he could, wishing Cynder would get caught.

"Quiet! What are you trying to do?" she snapped back as she entered the room.

"Nothing." He hissed at her.

"Spyro, you're not acting like yourself. You're being really irritable." Cynder said with a frown. "I asked you to help because I thought you would, not be a jerk the whole time."

"Alright, fine. Let's hide behind that vase." He said gesturing to it,

Large thudding footsteps were heard as one of the elders came in.

"It's Terrador." Cynder whispered.

"I know, I know." Spyro said. His heart began to beat faster as the door opened. Terrador, always being aware of everything around as is he was to be attacked at any second, inspected the room carefully. He seemed to notice something different, but could quite place what it was. He came closer to the large vase and squinted his eyes. It suddenly occurred to Spyro the Terrador might even be able to _smell_ them. He did have stimulated senses after all. Just as the leaned together, trying to disappear, Volteer came in.

"Hello there, Terrador, _what_ are you doing? It seems strange to be sniffing around ancient pottery this late at night, eh?" Volteer asked in his fast-paced voice.

"I just thought I heard something from over here." He muttered back.

"You hear something every five minutes. Maybe you should try and listen a little less. Maybe talk a little more, you know? Works just fine for me." Volteer said cheerily. Ignitus entered the room with a solemn look on his face. Cyrill followed closely behind.

"My friends, I have some new to tell you. It seems our Cynder may not be all she seems." He paused momentarily, and then spoke again, "Last night, her bloody ran cold and she stopped breathing for a moment. She paused and stared into the night sky, where a certain constellation was in view last night only. It happens about once every 65 years or so. " Ignitus finished speaking, then looked into all the elders' eyes.

"What does it mean?" Cyrill asked.

"It means what we have on our hands could be even more powerful than the dark master himself." Ignitus said, looking to the ground now. "It was an extreme coincidence to have two powerful eggs in the same brood. But I'm not sure if something like this is even possible. All I know is to not tell young Cynder until something is for sure."

"Well then, I suppose we'll further investigate this in the morning." Terrador said, "For now, I'd like to go to slee- AH-HA!" he had stopped in mid-sentence to peer behind the vase. When he had looked back, there was nothing there.


	4. Chapter 4

Terrador had a look of confusion and surprise on his face. He was staring right at Cynder and Spyro, but he did not appear to see them. Volteer began to laugh hysterically.

"Little bit on the crazy side, aren't we?" he said between laughs. Terrador let his head hang. He seemed embarrassed at the fact that he was losing his senses. Spyro and Cynder turned to each other to share a glance of confusion, but they couldn't see each other. They were invisible. Since Terrador's confusion was causing a ruckus, Spyro and Cynder took the opportunity to leave the room and retreat into the hall. When they left, both became visible once again.

"What do you suppose that was?" Spyro asked her.

"I'm not sure," Cynder replied, "but whatever it was, I think it was me." Her expression was colder than being frozen dead on the spot by your worst enemy. She was serious.

"Wow, really?" Spyro asked. He seemed amazed that Cynder was already gaining new abilities, just as Ignitus had predicted.

"And before we left, a voice told me to leave. I couldn't resist what it was telling me, no matter how hard I tried. Th-the voice. It was y-yours." Cynder said. She trembled and chocked on her own words as she spoke. It was quite clear that she was scared.

"_My_ voice? How is that possible? I was never able to control Sparx, let alone somebody's mind." He said, bewildered.

"I don't care what you say Spyro, you wanted to leave, you were probably thinking about it, and you made me leave. I know it was you. Just _how_? How did you do that?" Cynder asked, her eyes were pleading. She needed to know.

"I did it the same way you turned us invisible back there. I don't know what's happening, but we're both becoming stronger. My flame is still weak, I didn't know I could gain new abilities while being this weak. Maybe we should tell Ignit-"

"No!" Cynder said, cutting him off. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she said. "We already invaded their privacy, and they'll want to know _where_ this happened. If we tell them, they'll know and be very unhappy with us. "

"We can't just ignore it. It'll probably happen again since it wasn't intentional. Our best move for doing it in secret would be to practice when no one is around." Spyro said. "Our best place is the destroyed end of the temple. We can hide near the rubble and practice. But only one of us can practice at a time, so someone will have to keep watch."

"Alright then. We should go to sleep. I sorta need to be alone with my thoughts for a long time." Cynder said, remembering the elder's conversation about her.

"Good night!" Spyro called to her. She didn't answer back.

Morning came yet again. It was even colder than it was last night. It was quiet outside and the leaves were collecting on the ground. There was a wet moldy scent to the air. Spyro awoke staring at the ceiling to realize the sky was gray and foggy. Sparx was still sleeping, so Spyro decided to wake him. Cynder wasn't really going to talk much after last night. She seemed unhappy and probably still needed to be left alone.

"Sparx… Hey Sparx, wake up…" Spyro said, lightly tapping Sparx with his claw.

"Ughhhh… What is it fatso? I'm sleeping." Sparx murmured. He shook away the grogginess. "I'm tired. Can't you see that when I'm in the hay with my eyes closed I'm busy? Geez. You need to respect your older stepbrother. It may have been two hours, but that was a long time for me!" He continued to rant on and on. Spyro's vision became clouded and blurry. He staggered to the left, then back to the right. He felt himself fall to the ground slowly. Sparx's voice seemed faint and far away.

"Spyro? Spyro! Hey pal! Can you hear me…?"


	5. Chapter 5

Spyro's vision became clear once more and he sat up. The room was chilly once more, but something unusual had happened. The room had a different quality to it. Everything looked the same, but the way he looked at it felt different.

"I'm telling you, he's over here!" Sparx yelled from the entrance to the door. He had apparently gotten Ignitus to come and help. Ignitus was moving at a hurried pace but he was still pretty slow. Spyro sat up now. It hit him what was different. His vision was now three times sharper.

"Spyro, are you alright?" Ignitus asked through breaths of air.

"Well I-" Spyro stopped. He heard himself say: "Nothing's wrong. What's Sparx talking about? I just decided to sleep a little longer." He then had control of his speech again. Spyro was so shocked and nervous, he said nothing more. Ignitus gave Sparx a sharp glance, then walked away without saying another word.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! _Whoa_. What the heck was that? You. Passed out. On the floor. I go to get help. You say nothing happened. What was that?" Sparx was buzzing around in the air, blinding Spyro with sparkling bits of dust.

"STOP FLUTERING AROUND YOU WRETCH. YOU'RE HURTING MY EYES." Spyro barked loudly. Sparx was so taken aback by this sudden outburst he cowered in fear.

"Alright. You do whatever you need to do. I gotta… go… somewhere…" He said buzzing out the door as fast as possible.

"Spyro, what's wrong with you?" Cynder said as she entered the door. Her face had a mixture of shock and fear on it. "You're being really irritable and cruel to everyone." She said.

"_I'm_ irritable? You're one to talk Miss assistant-to-the-dark-master-of-doom!" He spat back.

"None of that was my fault! And personally, you're being a bigger jerk than the dark master could ever hop to be!" Her eyes were like fire blazing across the plains. This was an argument she didn't plan on losing.

"Sure, compare me to him! Its always Dark master was like this! He acted like that! Why don't you go back where you belong! Go serve some fool trying to take over the world!" his voice made loud echoes in the room and down the hall. Cynder turned away and left without another word, just as Ignitus did.

Spyro was in solitude for a few hours. He stared at the ceiling asking himself questions. _Why did he holler at Sparx like that? What was with the sudden anger when Cynder mentioned the Dark Master? Why couldn't he control what he was saying when talking to Ignitus? _Everything felt so confusing to him. Spyro decided to head to his secret rooftop hideaway. Carefully making sure no one was looking, he used his claws to scale the wall to get to the hole in the ceiling. Once through, he glided across to the treetops and headed to the other side of the temple. Once there, he deeply inhaled the morning mist. Since no one was around, he decided to try his power again. Spyro doubted he could control minds like Cynder said, but it was worth a shot. _Volteer… Volteer… I am commanding you to head outside and cause a lightning strike_. He waited. Nothing happened, but after a few minutes a large strike of lighting almost hit Spyro. His eyes grew wide in awe. Cynder was right. Spyro had the ability to take over people's minds and make them do whatever he wanted.

Volteer had apparently regained control of his won actions and was panicking. He could be heard from the rooftop. Soon, the other elders and Cynder could be heard talking, too. Spyro listened carefully. They began speak in tones so low; it became hard to hear them. He tried to listen for another five minutes, with no luck. Spyro turned back the room. He understood Cynder's feeling about what was happening to him. He wanted to know his fate, but it seemed to be impossible.

"My fears have been confirmed," Ignitus said to the other three elders and Cynder "Spyro has indeed gained several new abilities not meant for a dragon his age, or any age for that matter, to have. The same thing had happened to the dark master. He'll become more irritable, gain new powers, and then finally transform into a full-fledged villain. He may challenge the powers of those thought to be stronger. He must be disciplined with these new powers and kept under constant watch. Understood?"

"Yes." Everyone answered at once. That was the only thing left to say. Spyro could possibly crush them all underneath his very might. Spyro, the friendly dragon who risked his own life to save all of theirs. It seemed like a never-ending nightmare. Cynder turned back the same stars she stared at when this whole ordeal had started and closed her eyes. _Spyro, what's happening to you?_


	6. Chapter 6

Cynder had never felt so alone in her life. She was surrounded by those who cared about her, but the one who really mattered to her was slipping away little by little. Spyro was definitely changing. Never in his entire life had he been so angry, so aggressive. It just didn't seem fair that it's happening to him. It had only been three hours ago since the discussion about Spyro's transforming, but it stuck to her head like she had been branded with it. She began clawing little pictures on the stone floor of her room. Her claws had gotten smaller over the last couple of days. They were now tougher and pointer. Perfect for scaling walls and tearing flesh. The only other change that really happened was Cynder's wings. They became more aerodynamic and thick. Not like she'd be flying while carrying anything, really. The morning mist has cleared, but it was still a cloudy day.

"I haven't seen Sparx at all, I hope he hasn't been harmed." Cynder mumbled in alarm. Spyro _did_ sleep in the same room as Sparx. And he _was_ acting more violently to those who irritate- No. He would _never_ do that to _anyone_. Cynder was absolutely sure of this. It only made sense to check. She walked down continuous halls until she finally reached the room. Sparx wasn't in there, but Spyro certainly was. Cynder ducked before she could be seen. Spyro's wings had split. In their place were two larger, firmer ones. Each was shaped so he could fly five times faster than he ever could. His eyes were able to give a glance sharper than his claws. It was frightening to know that a creature such as him even existed. He took a quick glance in her direction. Cynder felt a stone drop to the very pit of her stomach. Cold sweat poured down her forehead as he drew nearer. With a quick swipe the wall was crumbled, leaving young Cynder exposed to his wrath. Without hesitation, she flew off in the other direction with Spyro in close pursuit. His tail, now coated with spikes like a club, swung wildly around causing large holes in the temple. The ruckus had drawn the attention of the elders who were guiding Cynder off towards the outside. Cynder had drawn Spyro back into his room, hoping he could be contained.

"Hey, I-it's me. Don't you remember? Cynder? Our eggs were laid here, we were separated, then brought back together?" she asked from behind a pillar. Nothing seemed to be getting through. _CRASH!_ The pillar came down. _CRASH! _Same for the wall on the other side. Cynder coughed and hacked up the dust in the air. Without thinking, she flew trough the hole in the ceiling. Spyro was delayed at following her; he had grown about three times his normal size and had trouble fitting through. The other elders were on the roof waiting.

"Cynder! It has happened, I-I didn't expect it to be so soon after we figured it out! I'm sorry!" Ignitus shouted to her as she made her way onto the roof.

"It's okay. We have to get out of here; he's comin-" Cynder was interrupted by the earsplitting roar coming from Spyro. Now that he was outside, the faint sunlight from a break in the clouds made his scales shine with all their might. With a swing of his tail, Spyro swiped at them, crushing the platform where he spent his lazy days when he needed to be alone. As everything crumbled beneath them, Cynder could feel the heat surging within her.

"Spyro or not, you have crossed the line on which has been set!" she roared. It took a half second for her to fly up and ram him. Her claws dug deep into his side, leaving a mark. The wound was deep, enough to make him fall back in pain, but instead, his expression changed to humor.

"It's sad really that you think you can change what has been done. My younger self was foolish not to conquer you all when I had the chance, but now, _now_ I took the chance to fix that. Dear Cynder, you are in way over your little head." Spyro said in a voice that was older, more mature even. With another swipe of his pointed tail, he made another attempt to strike her down. This time, there wasn't anything to make him miss.


	7. Chapter 7

Ignitus swooped and pushed Cynder. Everything became blurry for her. The lights of the flames being thrown heated the air. She felt sick. The ground swirled as Cynder came nearer and nearer. She thought she would die. The heat began to feel more and more intense as if she were still in he center of it all. A loud _thud!_ Told her that she was on the ground and still alive. Everything began to turn scarlet red, and then pitch black.

"Hey Creepy! You alive?" it was Sparx's voice. He sounded like he was right above her. "Hellllllloooooo? C'mon! Don't die on me now!" he chocked as he spoke. His voice was hoarse. Cynder sat up.

"Sparx! What happened? Where's Ignitus? A-and Spyro?" She began to frantically look around.

"Spyro flew off somewhere. The jerk. And the big guy ain't looking so good." He bowed his head in dismay. Ignitus lay unconscious by the river. The side he lay on most of his bones crushed, and his other side was bleeding. Cynder's eyes widened as she got up and walked towards him. His chest moved slowly. Every breath looked painful.

"Ignitus… are you okay?" Cynder stood a distance.

"I won't live very long like this" he coughed up some blood. "But don't worry, I lived a long life." He let out a small smile.

"No! We'll get help! I promise we will!" all the fury that had been inside her had been let out in that single statement. Ignitus will _not_ die. She'd make sure of it. "Sparx! Where's the closet place you know of? The temple is in ruins, and-and I don't see the other elders anywhere!"

"Where me and Spyro grew up! Our parents could do something! It's pretty far, but I think we could make it." He frantically looked around for a trail or path.

"No time to try and look for a close path, let's go down the river!" Cynder panicked and tried to find a large leaf. Some were big enough to carry three full-sized dragons. It took about 10 minutes, but Cynder managed to tear one down and drag it to the river. It hit Cynder that Ignitus wasn't going to be as easy to carry as she had previously thought. First, he weighed almost 800 pounds. Second, moving an unconscious person is dangerous. If their back or neck is hurt, they could die. "Sparx, how are we going to get him to your home? Hurry! Help me!"

"You want Mr. Stick arms' help? Puh-lease! You've gotta be kidding-" Cynder was between tears, for once, she wasn't just "a monster" she was a friend who needed help. "Alright, I'll make sure he's okay, you push him." He muttered. _Okay? What was that? I'm seriously going to do this for someone who almost killed me AND my brother? I need help._ He thought to himself.

When Ignitus was safely on the leaf, it took one good kick to send it careening down the river. The dragonfly swamp wasn't too far away, but it will take them a while to hike back up. The rapids stop about a half a mile away from where they need to be. There is no was to stop when in the middle of a river, just allow yourself to be carried on. Cynder hoped for Ignitus' sake that they'd get there as soon as possible.

I'd like to take this time to apologize for being gone so long. I haven't been feeling well, and this cold weather has kept me away from the computer. I also want to thank all my fans, you guys gave me the courage to continue the story and keep writing. You rock. D


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as they reached the end of the line, it hit Cynder that Ignitus is too heavy to carry for a half-mile. He was far too weak to walk on his own, but that was the only way.

"C'mon big guy, time to go." Sparx said, nudging him. Ignitus slowly crawled off the leaf. The bleeding had stop, but the scars were a memory that would stick with him for a very long time.

"Sparx, you'll have to lead the way. I have no idea where you and Spyro came from, and this swamp is full of dense trees. Do you think you can find a safe path?" her voice was deep with concern. Never in her whole life had she wanted anything more than for Ignitus to live. He was one of the few who accepted her. Not only that, he raised her and made sure she was safe once again.

"I think- I mean I _know_ it's around here somewhere… I remember getting lost when I was little. I had to head north. Let's go!" he said with a faint look of excitement and fear.

The hike was long and excruciating. Ignitus was getting weaker by the moment and sometimes needed rest.

"I appreciate your efforts, really, I do. I'm not sure that I'll make it all the way. You can head back to the temple. The other elders could need help." Ignitus said through choking coughs.

"No way. We're already halfway there!" Sparx yelled back.

"And besides, the other elders are fine. I can fell it. They're okay, a little shaken up, but okay." Cynder's spirited burned through the very words she spoke. The elders were fine, something inside of her was reaching out to make sure, and they were alright. "If we stay here, nothing good will come. If we keep going, at least we tried! You always told us to keep going for the goal, sure situations were grim, but you always knew we could! Let's go _now_!" the raging intensity of Cynder's soul was going nuts. The power of her words was surging through her veins. The heat of the sun itself wasn't powerful enough to match her.

"Even if we get him there in time, what are we going to do about the traitor? He's on the loose and crazy! He called me a wrench… or something like that! The jerk, and after all I've done for him, too." Sparx said, beginning to mumble.

"Sparx, I'm trusting you, take him back with you. I'm going to track down Spyro." She replied.

"You've gotta be kidding me! He has huge claws, huge teeth, huge wings, and some serious anger issues." He spat back.

"I can find out where he's gone. I can sort of feel him near now that he's darker now. No need to worry about me. I better set off." Cynder said.

"What? Hey! Get back here now!" Sparx said as she flew off into the distance.

The morning sun peaked through the clouds in some areas, giving Cynder a false sense of security. Warmth in a sea of coldness made her newfound senses go crazy. She felt sleepy whenever there was a break in the clouds; it amazed her how fast she could get used to a sudden temperature change. At this rate, she could fall asleep if the cloudiness were to clear up. _I need to stay focused; whatever has happened to Spyro needs to be stopped. The only true friend I ever had. I have to help him, whether he wants it or not. Hang on, I'm coming! _She thought to herself as the wind rushed by her.


	9. Chapter 9

They journey began to become restless as the plains slowly transformed into deserts, then into oceans, then back into plains. Cynder knew where Spyro was, just not _where_. His presence stung and tingled like a wasp stranded in her heart. Her mind could find out where he was hiding. But her eyes didn't know where this place was. Through all the strength and courage he had, Spyro was a coward. Striking his strongest foe, then hiding. Disgusting. Utterly disgusting.

Spyro awoke to find himself in a place he had never seen before. It was like no place _anyone_ had ever seen before. There was a sea of darkness before him that reflected the purple clouds above him. However, there was no sign of land anywhere. He sat on the glassy surface of the water. It didn't take long for Spyro to realize that the water felt like it was burning. Only he _liked_ it. He got up and began to walk around the endless ocean. Small ripples appeared where his feet touched it. In the very center of it all was a mirror. No fancy frame or border, just a tall, straight, flat column of glass. When he approached, his reflection was there all right. The reflection was older, stronger and had a look of pure darkness in his eyes.

"Hello there Spyro. Are you ready to begin your next level of transformation?" the reflection asked, smiling.

"Wait a minute! Where are we? What is this? How did you… how did I… Why is this happening?" Spyro shouted. The cloudy skies above swirled with the anger of a temptest.

"This place is a creation of our own. Our mind. The one place of solitude left from the rest of the world. When I was defeated by… her, I was trapped within the confounds of my own mind. As soon as he finished, the younger Spyro felt his scales grow longer and harder. Spyro's claws began to bend just ever so slightly, if they were to scratch someone, they would get caught. "I see my predictions were correct. Only three more stages to go and you and I will be one." Said the older Spyro.

"What do you mean by we will be one?" Younger Spyro demanded, his voice rising.

"Ever since we were hatched, we had special powers, that was obvious. Our powers were _different_, no the typical purple dragon thing. Not even the typical Dark Master thing. These powers began to expand and grow slowly over our lifespan. Cynder had small changes going here and there, but nothing compared to what would happen when we reached the peak of our lives. At the age of 35, we finished the transformation. We were an unstoppable force. Cynder had found out and was careful about approaching it. With a slow attack, our empire in the making collapsed. Humiliated and horrified we fled. In the Chronicler's library, we studied the past and future carefully. With the hourglass in the center, it had to have been put there for a purpose. We studied even harder, hiding from Cynder as she frequently came by and disposing of all books that mentioned our being there. Soon we discovered that the sand slowly recorded every moment in time, dumping the sand over a thousand years old in the ocean down below. In order for us to stop Cynder from defeating us, I had to make you evolve at earlier stages. Unfortunately, the same effect happened on Cynder, but you are evolving faster. Son she will fall and we will rise above as one." The older Spyro said with a fiendish smile.

The younger Spyro was so shocked, all he could say was "I'm sure Cynder is on her way to find me, or the other elders. I'm sure it'll be an easy victory for us." He let out his own devious smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Spyro awoke to find himself on the floor on a room he had not seen before. The image of his own mind burned inside of his head. The stinging made him feel uneasy. He muscular legs trembled as he got up. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he began to look around. It was a cave with stalagmites all around. Spyro was atop a large, flat rock. He was surrounded by stalagmites, as if her were in his own prison. There was a ledge leading outside, but he'd have to be quick to get there. Breaking into a fast run, he leaped onto the ledge. This action was not done without consequences. His leg was driven into a stalagmite, which made pain flow up the whole left side of his body. As the pain settled in, he felt pretty good. Stronger, almost. With a faint smile, he exited the cave.

A dim light surrounded him. It was soft on his eyes, but the purity of it burned him on the inside. He soon discovered that this area was none other than where he had met the Chronicler. An untouched area of his mind that had been completely forgotten. The floating rocks, hourglasses, and small temples were empty. Everything had a faint echo. It was cold in here, but still, it did not bother him.

"Wait!" he called into the emptiness, "if I'm awake, does that make this place real?" he waited for an answer from a familiar voice, but there was none. "Chronicler?" still none but an echoing silence. "Sparx? Cynder? Ignitus? Terrador? Cyr- ARGH!" He threw himself on the ground, causing himself more pain, which made him feel even stronger. It was all a nightmare, which every time he reached a point of alertness, he was thrown back into a deep sleep. Spyro the dragon was destined to be an unstoppable force. The monster he was smiled at that thought, but the dragon inside him was filled with shame and hatred. Thoughts of doing heroic things and putting others in mind were slowly fading away. _A never-ending nightmare_, he told himself, _a never-ending nightmare. I wish I was dead, then none of this would ever have happened, and everyone could go back to being all right._ A sudden thought crossed his mind. If this place was real and he jumped off the edge, he'd either fall into eternity, never to emerge, or die so he won't hurt anyone else.

He backed up as far as he could and charged for the edge of the cliff. He felt the wind rushing by, stinging him, as he did, an aurora of light surrounded him and carried him back to the ledge.

"Now now, we mustn't waste our lives on such behavior" Another Spyro, about the same age as the dark one had lifted him and carried him back. This one was different, his body build was a little different, and he looked friendlier.

"Who are you?" the younger Spyro asked, knowing who he was, but not exactly _who_.

"Me? Why, I'm your heroic side. The you that has been there since your birth, I am the will the stops you from heading off and killing all of your friends currently. I can't exactly stop us from doing the horrible deeds that we will, but a certainly can slow them. _We_, on the other hand, _can_ stop us. Your darker side may be stronger and have more mental control, but he isn't invincible like I am. No matter what happens, I'll always be here in this spot. Remember Spyro, the world is what you make of it, and so do all you can. Do me a favor, and wake up."

Spyro awoke in fear as to what was happening. _Was the hero's world in his mind real? Could the dark side take control of it or not?_ While these desperate questions rushed through his head, Cynder charged him onto the ground.

"Whatever's wrong with you, snap out of it, before _I_ do it for you." She screeched sharply.


	11. Chapter 11

Cynder trashed Spyro to the ground. Once there, Spyro noticed around him there was nothing but sea. They were on the white isle. Exactly where the demonic Spyro had been talking about. Cynder giving him a smack across the face ended his short investigation of the area.

"You monster! Ignitus is dying! How could you, the only one in the world who fully believed in you, he even believed in _me_! And now he's going to die! You disgust me!" she screeched into his face. Even though Spyro had almost doubled in size, she had a firm hold. "You tell me, and you tell me right now, what is it you're doing!" She was all but happy to see her friend. She had thought of plan after plan to work this out, but all had left her head as she saw him lying on the beach. Her fury had taken complete charge.

"I-I I'm not sure." Spyro said, giving her a light push off of him. "I just think that something may be wron-" Spyro felt pain surge through his body. _Bad_ pain. _Now, now, we mustn't tell others about me, shall we?_ It was the older Spyro contacting him. _This little witch is regaining her trust in us, don't loose this advantage! Get the Chronicler's library and erase her from existence! Now, go! _

"Spyro, are you alright?" Cynder asked. She sounded concerned.

"No, I just felt a bit of pain. As I was saying, something's wrong… in the library, we should hurry and check it out!" He said, urging her towards the semi-ruined temples. _You disgust me, you know that?_ Spyro thought, hoping the demonic Spyro could hear him. As he led her to the center of the labyrinth of stonewalls and tunnels, he couldn't help but wonder if he was going to go through with it. Cynder and him were close, and they had been friends since she was free of the Dark Master. More negative pain struck him as he thought about the Dark Master. Cynder followed behind him carefully, and nervously. _The fool_, Demonic Spyro cut in, _she has complete trust in us. She feels so safe, so protected, the fool. Remember Spyro, you have to break open the hourglass without spilling the sand, push both Cynder and her book into the center, and they'll be gone from our lives!_ Spyro just mentally agreed with him. There was no use fighting it. Angelic Spyro has no power and Demonic Spyro could take control of his actions if given a random burst of power.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Cynder said, nervously trailing behind Spyro. She huddled close to his side, which had some spikes, but she didn't seem to mind.

"To the library," Spyro said, "We mustn't make haste, something bad could happen." Spyro knew exactly what he had to do. And to do it, Cynder needed to be out of the way.


	12. Chapter 12

As they hurried on, Spyro tried to show no sign of thought whatsoever. Cynder kept glancing over to him and trying to read his mind by the expression on his face. Spyro quietly hoped Cynder would _never_ see the monster that he would become. Even thought it was long since Spyro had been into the library, he knew the layout by heart. Instead of running the gauntlet of death, he decided to take the shortcut and bash down one of the walls. It was easy since he was stronger now.

"From here, it's a straight path to the library." Spyro said.

"Alright, I hope we can get there in time." Cynder replied with a weak smile. _Wait, if he was already in there, why did he have to bash the wall again? Unless the walls are re-spawning… I have no imagination, everything's just fine. Spyro seems to be back to normal now, I must be imagining things._ Cynder thought to herself. She watched as Spyro leaped over debris and rubble with ease, as he instinctively knew where to go. It was amazing that a childhood friend had such strength. Cynder was growing embarrassed of her own powers that were no match for his. In comparison, he seemed like a superior force, she was just a minor speck of dust in his almighty shadow.

"There." Spyro said, making a gesture with his tail. Cynder's eyes lit up in awe. The library had all the books from everything in existence, all continuing to write themselves into place. "Come on, we have to find the Chronicler." Spyro said inspecting the area carefully. _He knows we're here! He's hiding Spyro, find him! He must have been reading the book from when the moment we had arrived!_ Shouted Demonic Spyro loudly in the younger Spyro's mind. I'll need the Chronicler out of my way as well… Spyro thought. He'll get in my way, big time. With a grin, Spyro said, "Come on Cynder, I think he might be this way."

"Are you sure, this seems suspicious… Why would he abandon the library at a time like this when something may be wrong? Shouldn't he stop someone from re-writing history in the books?" Cynder asked nervously.

"He's not here because he's a coward! And need to find him!" Spyro hissed back, rising up to show he wasn't to be challenged by a weaker dragon. Cynder stepped back a little bit, a clear sign that she submits to him. They began to walk down hallway after hallway, twisting and turning the narrow passages. Spyro let out a devious smile and pointed to a large stone door. "It'll take some doing, but we need to split up to open this door. You head to that side, and I'll go this way." Spyro ordered. Cynder simply agreed. There was no use arguing with him, he had the upper hand in this situation. After twelve minutes of continuous walking, Spyro felt dazed and in a dream. A soft light fogged up his vision as he fell into a sweet sleep.

"Spyro, please awaken, for a wish to speak to you. " a voice said. The soft light burned a little, but as it cleared, he could see the Angelic Spyro standing in front of him. Spyro sat up, looking around in awe. This was the same place Demonic Spyro had taken him; only everything was bathed in warmth and light. The water was cool and clear; the clouds above had an aurora to them. This was truly the image that comes to mind when one says _Heaven_. It took Spyro a few moments to realize the astonishing image was only his reflection in the mirror, just as the Demonic Spyro was. "Now as myself, I can only guess what you may be thinking of doing. Why, I ask you, why?" he looked horrified that he could even think of doing something as horrid as that, "What ever happened to being pure at heart, strong in will, and all those other things Ignitus has told you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but for these actions, I need to release all that is of my past and embrace my fate to come. I must bid you a quick farewell; we may never see each other again. We may never see _anything_ ever again." Spyro said in a conclusive manner.

"Yes but-"

"Get me out of here. I want to leave this instant! Let me be me, you are gone and out of my life!" Spyro shouted. The Angelic Spyro looked down in disappointment. With a sigh of defeat, he began murmuring things to himself. Spyro felt the angelic sensation slip away and the cold icy winds of the White Isle sink back into his conscious mind.

Spyro hurried on to the door, and activated the switch. He hurried back to the door where Cynder was waiting impatiently.

"What took you so long?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"I just had a little trouble, my foot got lodged between two rocks, I freed myself, flicked the switch, and here I am. Stop worrying you little witch!" he snapped. Cynder stepped back once more to show she wasn't trying to start any trouble. Spyro knocked into the now unlocked door, smashing it to pieces. The Chronicler was staring into his face with an expression of sheer terror. Cynder glanced back and forth between them as she slowly pieced together the puzzle. Spyro let out a smile and bared his claws. There was no way to stop him now.


	13. Chapter 13

Cynder went for a full strength attack while she had the chance. Spyro absorbed the hit for the most part. She dug her claws into his side and blood poured out. Spyro cringed. The pain didn't feel bad at all, but loosing blood certainly did. Cynder regretted that she had hit him. He was one of her only friends in the world. And his blood gave her a strange feeling. Like a burning sensation almost… Whatever it was, it was a tad scary. The Chronicler had backed up and was searching the shelves near him rapidly for something. Spyro was about to charge him, extreme blood loss and all, but Cynder gave him another forceful hit. More blood rained down onto the ground, forever staining some of the books. They appeared to be getting the burning effect as well. They shriveled into dust. _I suppose the pottery of the Tall Plains never existed now…_ Cynder thought to herself. Spyro again charged Cynder into the wall and held her there as she whimpered in pain. She slid to the ground and things began to fade away…

When Cynder began to awake and tried to move, she found that she couldn't. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. All she heard was the silence of night and saw the stars twinkling. A warm breeze blew by. _Am I dead? Is this heaven?_ She thought in awe. The stars were all in full view. All of them. Every single constellation was there. They all were shining as bright as they could and Cynder could identify all of them. Even the ones she never saw before. She felt warmth and power surge through her veins. Her own voice was speaking softly to her. _By the wings of Cygnus, by the fins of Pieces, by the strength of Scorpio, and the light of Polaris, I grant you these powers to be used in the time of need. Be careful Cynder, looks may be deceiving. Now, awaken._ Cynder opened her eyes for real this time. Yet again, she could not move, but she certainly could speak.

"Where? What? Spyro!" She shouted. She and the Chronicler were chained down firmly near the hourglass. He was looking through a bookshelf. He already had a large stack of books next to the hourglass. He selected one, and then looked through the books he had. With a faint smile on his face, he turned to them.

"Well, what must be done must be done. You've caused me trouble, pain, and suffering. The only reason that has happened was because my dark side had taken control of my thoughts, actions, and what I believe in. The only way for everyone to be at peace is for me to disappear from existence. Goodbye Cynder. You and Sparx were the best friends I ever could've hoped for." He hurriedly uncapped the hourglass and tossed the books in. He began to fade away. _What? You idiotic simpleton! We could have had it all, the world, and the universe! Everything!_ The Dark Spyro cried out with his last fading breath.

"Spyro, no!" Cynder screamed and thrashed at the chains. She felt power surging through her veins as she hit them. They easily gave under her might. She sped towards the now halfway gone Spyro. She jumped into the hourglass and began to move downward. The sand had the same consistency of water; only it was hard to breathe and chocked her when she opened her mouth. As she went further down, she began to feel weaker, and like she was carrying more weight. It hit her that she was getting older by the second. _Almost there… Got them!_ Cynder tried to return to the surface, but she was down too far and wasn't strong enough to pull herself back up. She began to sink deeper towards the bottom. With all of her last might; she released all the energy she had built up. Light began to swirl around slowly at first, then faster. It felt like something was pulling her backwards quickly. Everything turned white as the purest of light, then black like the night.

It was a bright sunny day earlier, and now a dark peaceful night. Spyro sat atop the temple, watching leaves blow in the breeze. No one had known about this place, Not Ignitus, not Volteer, not Cyrill, not Terrador, not Sparx, nor Cynder. Spyro liked it this way; the world was hard and cruel to him. He needed a break every now and again. Ever since being "the chosen dragon" his life flew by so fast, days became hours, weeks became days, months became weeks and so on. He was becoming weak again, but he had been fighting more than usual, Ignitus worried, but Spyro knew everything was all right. The whole world seemed to glow as golden leaves flew by. It was a truly remarkable sight.

"Spyro!" A voice called from far away.

"I say, where do you think he has gone off to this time?" another voice chimed in. It was Ignitus and Cyrill. There were more chatterings coming from them, but they were too far away. But because he could hear them, he guessed that they were directly below him.

"I'm coming!" he called out as loud as he could. Carefully gliding down to a large mushroom to insure that his hiding place would not be found, Spyro jumped in the canopy of plant life that surrounded the temple. Sparx often hid in the plant to jump out and scare people. Lately, he hadn't been doing it much, considering that Terrador was caught by surprise and squashed him against a wall. Spyro leaped and hurried, trying to be discreet. Finally, after minutes of running he finally reached the temple door. Taking the long way took forever, but gliding down would've revealed him. Ignitus was already waiting for him.

"There you are, I've been looking for you, were in the world did you go?" asked Ignitus.

Cynder watched this scene from afar. Had she really just turned back time? She checked her whole body over. It seemed just fine. And unlike before, the stars weren't calling out to her. Everything seemed… normal. Just as it should be. Maybe Ignitus was right; she was a special and powerful dragon. And she had used her powers to the best of her ability. Not only did she save several lives, she also saved a friendship that was never intended to end.

"Anyway, the view up there is really great! You should come see it!" Spyro said to Ignitus.

"I will do so soon young dragon, I will do so soon." He replied with a smile on his face.

"We could go now, or tomorrow, or maybe when I finish my lessons early!" Spyro said, smiling. "Oh, Ignitus, umm… thanks for taking care of me like you were my own father. It's really nice and you mean a lot to me." Spyro said, looking straight into his eyes.

"You're welcome young dragon." Ignitus said, perplexed. Spyro had been more of a friend than a child to him, and he seemed attached, as if Ignitus were about to leave and go somewhere. "Well then," he said, remembering his conversation "Head off to sleep now." He said, pushing him off.

As Spyro walked to his room, he looked at the rooftop where Cynder was standing. _Our powers are long gone. You've sown that you're a greater match to take on the world than I am. I wish you luck in the many adventures you'll face. It's all I can do, without you, everything would be lost, especially our everlasting friendship._

THE END


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